Big Ten Links: Special teams, new faces, & tweets

By Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, 4 years ago

Big Ten Links: Special teams, new faces, & tweets

By Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, 4 years ago

When we watch Illinois, much figures to be different, says the venerable Loren Tate of the Champaign News-Gazette. One of the biggest differences will be on special teams, which had been, well, awful the last few seasons under Ron Zook. There is now a special teams coach in Tim Salem, who is one of the best in the business. It’s little details like this that could pay off big as the Illini begin a new era under Tim Beckman.

Special teams also are a big deal at Ohio State under Urban Meyer. But, it’s no shock that he always has placed value on such things. The guy is one of the best in the biz. Just ask him.

In fact, special teams are a big passion of Meyer. Oh, and there’s a link between new Illini coach Tim Beckman and Urban Meyer: The two worked together at Bowling Green when Meyer was head coach. So, you can see where Beckman learned to appreciate the nuances of the pooch punt.

Not bad for a former walk-on, who I think will end up being a better wideout than Toon. Heck, Abbrederis may have been better than Toon last season. He will lead what could be one of the Big Ten’s most underrated receiving corps.

But Dominic Alvis and Carl Davis give the unit good potential for a front whose four projected starters have just a combined 13 career starts. But potential looms despite the inexperience. Davis in particular has a chance to be special. The 6-5, 310-pound sophomore has played in only six games in his career, but he can be a force on the interior vs. the run.

He better be right. This is the matchup that figures to determine if Michigan will be able to pull the upset this Saturday in Arlington, Texas, vs. the defending national champion Crimson Tide. I can’t wait.

If that happens, star defensive end William Gholston figures to have a big season. For Gholston, stats don’t matter—victories do. The guy is a monster off the edge who may be the top defensive end in the nation.

TWEETS THAT MATTER

LB Gerald Hodges: #PSU will use no-huddle on defense, with some players giving real signals and others using dummy signals.

My take: The day I watched Illinois practice, Hawthorne wasn’t full-go. I think it’s vital for him to focus on defense for now and not get overworked, as the staff must think it has enough weapons at receiver … for now.